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Coyotes-Wolves-Cougars.blogspot.com

Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars/ mountain lions,bobcats, wolverines, lynx, foxes, fishers and martens are the suite of carnivores that originally inhabited North America after the Pleistocene extinctions.
This site invites research, commentary, point/counterpoint on that suite of native animals (predator and prey) that inhabited The Americas circa 1500-at the initial point of European exploration and subsequent colonization.
Landscape ecology, journal accounts of explorers and frontiersmen, genetic evaluations of museum animals, peer reviewed 20th and 21st century research on various aspects of our "Wild America" as well as subjective commentary from expert and layman alike. All of the above being revealed and discussed with the underlying goal of one day seeing our Continent rewilded.....Where big enough swaths of open space exist with connective corridors to other large forest, meadow, mountain, valley, prairie, desert and chaparral wildlands.....Thereby enabling all of our historic fauna, including man, to live in a sustainable and healthy environment. - Blogger Rick

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — “The Last Appalachian Wolf” is a captivating historical novel. It chronicles the lives of wolf packs from 1750 to 1897 in the Cheat Mountain area of West Virginia.

Dr. Edwin Daryl Michael gives the wolves names and the book follows them from generation to generation. Young pups are described from when they stick close to their mothers, and then as they tentatively venture out to play games with each other, all the way to adulthood and becoming pack leaders.

Michael, professor emeritus of wildlife ecology at West Virginia University, spent a 12-year period researching the history of wolves in West Virginia.

A feature of the novel that made it so enjoyable for me to read was the detailed description of the social structure of a wolf pack and how such cohesiveness within the family groups influenced every aspect of the daily lives of pack members.

Mating, rearing of pups, hunting strategies, play and establishment of dominance are important behavioral traits described throughout the novel. Wolves cannot survive without cooperation, and seeing the inner dynamics of their lives gave me a new appreciation and admiration for wolves.

One chapter, “Wolf History,” explores how this social structure influenced the domestication of wolves — the first wild animal to be domesticated by humans, and still considered “man’s best friend” to this day.

After gaining strength and coordination from game playing, eventually the young wolves are invited to go on a first hunt with the adults. The pack leader decides where and when to hunt, and everyone has a role to play for the survival and wellbeing of the pack.

The alpha male is usually the pack leader, but in some cases the alpha female can become the leader.

After showing the dynamics in a wolf pack, Michael describes the land and ecosystem of the Cheat Mountains in present-day Randolph and Pocahontas counties.

Historical records indicate timber wolves were common throughout West Virginia prior to the arrival of settlers. George Washington and Daniel Boone both encountered wolves in their travels into what is now West Virginia. According to an article published in the Webster Republican, the last timber wolf in West Virginia, and possibly the last wolf in the central Appalachian Mountains, was killed during a five-day hunt in January 1897. That hunt, which took place in Randolph County and involved as many as 15 men, formed the basis for the final chapters of this book.

“The Last Appalachian Wolf” evaluates the impacts of several historic events on wolf populations of the Allegheny Mountains. Included are: construction of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, construction of Cheat Summit Fort during the Civil War, certain local civil war battles, logging, logging railroads and sheep ranching.

Michael also details the extent of the bounty system in Randolph County, which resulted in payments for the deaths of more than 1,100 wolves during 1800-1840.

Wolves and American Indians peacefully coexisted, although Indians most likely killed a few wolves each year. Of greater significance, wolves benefited from the Indians’ widespread burning of the forests and the subsequent increase in prey animals such as buffalo, elk and deer.

Michael explains the impacts of the major events that ultimately led to the demise of the timber wolf. He believes early settlers had only minor impacts on the numerous packs of wolves that inhabited the region. However, the relentless killing of buffalo, elk and deer by later settlers ultimately led to the demise of timber wolves. With a shortage of natural prey, the remaining wolves began killing cattle and sheep.

Ranchers subsequently turned to steel traps and strychnine in attempts to eliminate wolves. These weapons caused a huge decline in wolf numbers, one from which they would never recover.

Michael has the rare ability to incorporate the natural history of wildlife and the major events of human history within a fascinating novel involving specific individuals, both animal and human. Readers will share the lives of individual wolves as they play, hunt, mate, rear families and meet untimely deaths in the Appalachian wilderness.

The book is available locally at Taylor Books, West Virginia Marketplace at Capitol Market, and online from the West Virginia Book Co. for $12.95. Orders can be placed at 304-342-1848 or www.wvbookco.com.

Bill Clements is the owner and operator of the West Virginia Book Co.

- See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140727/GZ05/140729569/1117#sthash.aw50495M.GSf6n9Un.dpuf

Two Massachusetts Eastern Coyotes at their den site

Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Aldo Leopold--3 quotes from his SAN COUNTY ALMANAC

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

Aldo Leopold

''To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."

Wildlife Rendezvous

Like so many conscientious hunters and anglers come to realize, good habitat with our full suite of predators and prey make for healthy and productive living............Teddy Roosevelt depicted at a "WILDLIFE RENDEZVOUS"

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Blog Disclaimer

This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of my various thoughts and opinions, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Rick Meril and WWW.COYOTES-WOLVES-COUGARS.COM make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.